Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu
||2.5.128||

api ca – sañcārī syāt samonā vā kṛṣṇa-ratyāḥ suhṛd-ratiḥ |
adhikā puṣyamāṇā ced bhāvollāsā itiryate ||128||

“If the love for a friend ( with similar devotional feelings) is the same as or less than the love for Krishna, then it is a sancari bhava; but if this love grows to the point where it exceeds the love for Krishna, then it is called bhavollasa rati.”

Commentary: śrī-jīvaḥ : sañcārī syād ity asyāyam arthaḥ—suhṛdāṁ nijābhīṣṭa-rasāśraye bhakta-viśeṣe śrī-rādhikādau viṣaye sajātīya-bhāva-bhaktānāṁ parasparaṁ ratyā viṣayāśraya-rūpāṇāṁ lalitādīnāṁ sakhī-mukhyānām ekatarāśrayā yā ratiḥ, sā yadi kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā ratyāḥ samā syād ūnā vā syāt tadā kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā rateḥ sañcaryākhya eva bhāvaḥ syāt | tan-mūlatvāt tat-poṣaṇāc ca | evaṁ madhurākhye rase tu sā yadi kvacit kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā api ratyā adhikā , tatrāpi puṣyamāṇā santatābhiniveśena saṁvardhyamānā syāt tadā sañcāritve’pi viśiṣṭyāpekṣayā bhāvollāsākhyo bhāva īryate iti | tad idaṁ tv atrānusmṛtya likhitam api sañcāriṇām ante yojanīyam, tatraiva sajātīyatvāt ||128||

sañcārī syād ity asyāyam arthaḥ – The meaning of the verse ‘sañcārī syād’ is as follows

suhṛdāṁ nijābhīṣṭa-rasāśraye bhakta-viśeṣe śrī-rādhikādau viṣaye sajātīya-bhāva-bhaktānāṁ – In relation to the special devotees of one’s desired mood viz. Sri Radhika etc. who are close to oneself and are belonging to the same mood

parasparaṁ ratyā viṣayāśraya-rūpāṇāṁ lalitādīnāṁ sakhī-mukhyānām ekatarāśrayā yā ratiḥ – The attraction in the form of viṣaya and āśraya caused due to exclusive mutual affection towards main sakhīs like lalitā etc…

sā yadi kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā ratyāḥ samā syād ūnā vā syāt tadā kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā rateḥ sañcaryākhya eva bhāvaḥ syāt – If that attraction is on the same scale as the attraction to Krishna or is on an inferior scale then it is known as sañcārī-bhāva

tan-mūlatvāt tat-poṣaṇāc ca – Because sañcārī-bhāva arises from the sthāyī-bhāva and nourishes it

evaṁ madhurākhye rase tu sā yadi kvacit kṛṣṇa-viṣayāyā api ratyā adhikā , tatrāpi puṣyamāṇā santatābhiniveśena saṁvardhyamānā syāt tadā sañcāritve’pi viśiṣṭyāpekṣayā bhāvollāsākhyo bhāva īryate iti – In this way, in madhura rasa however, if that attraction “SOMETIMES” is greater in scale even than the attraction to Krishna and love for the friend is being increased by (Krsna rati’s) pervasive entering into it, then even though it is sāñcārī-bhāva yet due to its speciality it becomes known as bhāvollāsa-bhāva

tad idaṁ tv atrānusmṛtya likhitam api sañcāriṇām ante yojanīyam, tatraiva sajātīyatvāt – This statement regarding bhāvollāsa although mentioned here by the author Sri Rūpa Goswami should actually be written at the end of the section named sañcārī-bhāva, for it belongs to that category

My Param Gurudeva, Srila Kunjabihari wrote: 

3.4 The official term for the dominant mood of the manjaris is bhavollasa-rati

The definition of the word sakhi has been given separately in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Ujjvala-nilamani and Alamkara-kaustubha.
Five kinds of sakhis were listed, amongst whom the prana-sakhis and nitya-sakhis have the greatest freedom from self-consciousness when present at the loving couple’s most intimate moments, being always well-fixed in the wealth of love. Their love, however, is of such a unique nature that although Sri Rupa Gosvamin had indicated in his reference to kama-rupa devotion’s division called tad- bhavecchatmika, still he desired to give it another special name, that of bhavollasa rati (“love that is enlivened by their feelings,” or “that love which enlivens their loving sentiment for one another.” This bhavollasa rati is the sthayi bhava or dominant mood of the manjaris.
Sri Krishna is the object (vishaya) of madhura rati and Srimati Radharani is the subject (asraya). Those devotees who are endowed with a similar dominant mood of love towards the Lord are naturally friends (suhrit); the name of the friendly affection that Lalita and her other friends feel towards Srimati is therefore called suhrid-rati. If this suhrid-rati is equal to the feeling of affection that they have for Krishna, or if it is somewhat less, then it serves the function of a sancari-bhava, a helper or inspirator to the dominant mood.
Thus the friendly affection that the sama-sneha and krishna-snehadhika sakhis feel for Radha is an inspirator in their love for Krishna.
On the other hand, if the feeling of love for the friend, namely Radha, exceeds the devotion to even Krishna, and is always increasing due to intense absorption, then even though it remains on the one hand in the sancari category, due to its uniqueness it is given the special name of bhavollasa rati.
These devotees of Krishna who share a common genus of love for the Lord naturally feel a mutual empathy and think of each other as friends.
The best of the devotees in each of the four categories of loving relationship, such as Raktaka and Patraka amongst Krishna’s servants at Nanda Grama, Subala and Sridhaman amongst the friends, Krishna’s parents Nanda and Yasoda, and Srimati Radharani and Candravali amongst his mistresses, are usually loved by their friends to a degree slightly less than their level of feeling that friend has for Krishna himself. On occasion it may equal, but certainly not exceed it.
In such cases, the sthayi bhava or dominating mood is the love the devotee has for Krishna, and the feeling of friendship for the more advanced or superior devotee is a subordinate feeling or sancari-bhava—a wave in the ocean of that love.

Yet we see that in the case of madhura-rasa there is a unique situation in which some of the friends of Radharani feel more affection for her than they do for even Krishna and this affection is always increasing due to the intense desire they have to please her. This feeling is a special type of sthayi-bhava known as bhavollasa rati. (see Jiva Goswamipada´s commentary above – “evaṁ madhurākhye rase tu – in madhura rasa however”)

Other than Srimati Radharani in the madhura-rasa, such a thing is unheard of in relation to any devotee of any other rasa. Nowhere has it been said anywhere that a devotee is hundreds of times greater than even Krishna, except in the case of Radha. Krishna says in the Caitanya-caritamrita: “The three worlds have me alone as the source of their pleasure—who is there who will give pleasure to me? That person who is hundreds of times more qualified myself is the one who will be able to gladden my mind; yet how is it possible that anyone in the universe can be more qualified than I? I can only see such virtues in Radha. The whole world becomes happy at seeing the beauty of my form, yet my eyes become fulfilled only by seeing her. The sound of my flute fills the whole world with bliss, yet my ears are stolen away by the sound of her voice. The entire universe is fragrant due to my bodily odour, yet her fragrance steals my life and soul. The world is filled with flavour due my rasa, yet the taste of her lips completely overthrows me. Even though the touch of my body is cooling to all, I myself can become cooled only by touching her. In these ways am I the source of the world’s joy, yet the form and qualities of Radharani are my life and soul. It is for this reason that only in madhura-rasa is it possible for the manjaris to feel even more strongly about Radharani than they do about Krishna. In no other circumstance could it possible for someone to feel an affection of comparable strength for any other devotee; bhavollasa rati is only possible in the case of Srimati Radharani Devotees relish the nectar of Krishna’s sweetness according to their own particular dominant mood of love. The cause of relishing is thirst (trishna) and thus, according to the genus and degree of thirst or desire, it is possible to guage the relative values of the tasting of sacred rapture. The manjaris are very clever; they think that their degree of desire to serve the Lord is very little and that therefore it is best not to try to enjoy Krishna directly; they choose rather to remain constantly absorbed in the mood of Srimati Radharani, the embodiment of the ocean of desire for Krishna’s service, the epitome of the highest devotional affection of maha-bhava in its ultimate, maddening stage known as madana. They thus show more devotion to her than to him, convinced that by so doing they will be able, not just to attain a higher level of pleasure themselves, but will also be able to please him more.

Previously it was stated that madhura-rasa is only possible if the lover and beloved share a mutual desire for romantic love. From this a question about the specific mood of the manjaris arises. One who is devoid of such erotic desire for Krishna may feel servitude, friendship or even parental affection for Radharani, but there is no possiblity of madhura- rasa. The relationship between two women of the type under discussion cannot be called romantic love. The dominant affection of the manjaris is toward the Divine Couple in a romantic way; they are attached to and absorbed in them as a unit. Thus, Caitanya was indicating this spirit of the manjaris when he asked Ramananda Raya to “to hear of the loving dalliance of Radha and Krishna” after having heard from him “the truths of the love that exists between them.” Similarly, Narottama Das Thakur sings: Remembrance is the life of the mind; what an exceedingly sweet abode! The essence of remembrance is the pastimes of Radha and Krishna; this is the practice, this is the perfection there is nothing more than this. This is the quintessence of all the rules and regulations of devotional life. The conclusion is that the object of the sakhis and manjaris’ dominant mood of devotional love is Radha and Krishna together, and not Radha nor Krishna alone. This is demonstrated in the following poem by Krishna Dasa Kaviraja: Without her jewels, King Bhanu’s girl If put by Krishna’s side, Her eyes blossom in happiness, Love’s beauty shines inside; To see her full in joy with him Her friends all swell with pride. Without her Lord, King Bhanu’s girl Trembles in lonely fright, Though decked in jewels and finery She is not a happy sight. She wilts and so do all her friends Like lotuses at night. It is shown here that without Krishna, Radha alone is not the cause of happiness for the sakhis and manjaris. Therefore the dominant mood of affection of the manjaris has both Radha and Krishna together as its object.

As Narottam Das sings, “My destination in life or death, the Lords of my heart are Radha and Krishna.” The temperament of the manjaris is something new in the science of devotion. This bhavollasa rati is known therefore as a division of kamarupa bhakti, a type of erotic feeling, because they are attached to witnessing the union of the Divine Couple. In his commentary to Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 2.5.128 (cited above on page 68), Jiva Gosvamin directly mentions the name of Lalita, but the dearest friends of Radha, the ashta-sakhis, who all in the sama-sneha category, at certain instances swing pendulum-like in their affections, from Radha to Krishna.

For this reason their affection cannot be called bhavollasa rati. Therefore, who exactly is being referred to by the word “etcetera” (ity adi) in the phrase “Lalita, etc.” in Jiva’s commentary? Kasturi Manjari, Mani Manjari, etc., are nitya-sakhis. Mani Manjari is a follower of Sri Guna Manjari; therefore, there can be no doubt that Sri Rupa Manjari, Sri Rati Manjari, Sri Guna Manjari, etc., are all Radharani‘s girlfriends (sakhis), even though they function as confidential hand-maidens (manjaris). Narottam Das Thakur has variously called them narma-sakhis (“pleasure-companion”), seva-para sakhi (“friends dedic-ated to service”), etc.

In the Govinda-lilamrita, Sri Rupa Manjari has been called priya-narma-sakhi (“most dear pleasure companion’, 1.86), Guna Manjari dasika (“maidservant,” 1.87) and Rati Manjari sakhi (2.52). In Mukta-carita Ranganamala and Tulasi Manjari are called parama- pranayi-sakhis (“most loving friends”). In Kavi Karnapura’s Alamkara-kaustubha, the priya-narma-sakhis are defined as being “those girlfriends who cause no feeling of inhibition to manifest in the leading lady, even if she is lying on her couch with her lover in an undressed state, and whom she feels to be identical with her very self.”

These sakhis are further described in the Ujjvala-nilamani: All those girlfriends who nurture a feeling that “we are Radha’s,” who always feel affectionate to her, even more than they do to Krishna, are called sakhi-snehadhika. Therefore, they are the girlfriends of Radharani who possess the devotional mood known by the name of bhavollasa rati.

In the Prema-bhakti-candrika, Narottama Das warns not to confuse the sama-sneha girlfriends with those who prefer Radha to Krishna. His description of the asama-sneha sakhis is as follows:
Don’t identify the sama-sneha friends of Radha with those who are asama-sneha; I will describe here those who are more affectionate to Radharani. They always remain near her talking about Krishna’s playful diversions and are thus known as her narma-sakhis. Of them, the best is Rupa Manjari; Rati Manjari is also noteworthy, as are Lavanga Manjari and Manjulali. Kasturika Manjari and others also happily serve along with Sri Rati Manjari. I will beg service to the Holy Couple from all of these manjaris, always be obedient to them and able to understand the purpose of their slightest motion or hint. Being absorbed in Radha and Krishna’s qualities and beauty I shall always be enthusiastically affectionate; I will make my residence amongst the sakhis.

In the Caitanya-caritamrita also, Ramananda Raya says:
Whoever follows in the mood of the girlfriends of Srimati Radharani becomes eligible for attaining service to the Divine Couple in Vrindavana’s forest groves;
other than this there is no other means to such an attainment.

3.5 Why has bhavollasa-rati earned the name of a separate sthayi-bhava rather than being known as a sancari-bhava?

In the commentary on the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu verse that defines bhavollasa, it is said that this particular devotional mood was added by Rupa Gosvamin as an afterthought and should actually be thought of as belonging to the sancari-bhavas. The affection of the dearest girlfriends of Srimati Radharani such as Lalita is also included in the sancaris for madhura-rati. There are thrity-three of these sancaris described in the appropriate section of the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu; of these, all but two (augrya “nastiness” and alasya “laziness”) are considered to be suitable to the erotic mood of sacred rapture. Along with these thirty-one sancaris comes this additional feeling:
“Love for friends of a similar temperament of feeling for Krishna are also known as sancaris.”

Along with friends are messengers and any other objects or persons that serve as go-betweens for the lover and beloved, including also Krishna’s male friends. An example of Radha’s affection for a friend is given in Ujjvala-nilamani: One day on Govardhana hill, Sri Rupa Manjari observed Radharani displaying extreme affection to Lalita during the course of her dalliances with Krishna. She said to one of Lalita’s friends in praise of her great fortune: “O friend, just see how Radharani is cleaning the perspiration and rearranging the hair from Lalita’s face even though she is simultaneously sporting with Krishna.” The idea is that Radha’s strong show of affection to Lalita by wiping the perspiration arising in the course of their activities with the Lord does not take precedence over her feelings to Krishna, but serves to feed the fire of that love even more. Therefore, it is not a sthayi-bhava or dominant mood, but a sancari or transitory feeling. On the other hand, in his Tika to the above verse, Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada cites Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 2.5.128 and concludes that bhavollasa, the feelings that Mani Manjari and the other nitya- sakhis have for Radharani, feelings that are stronger than those they harbour for Krishna, are of a different type. Because the predominating feelings or sthayi-bhavas have been defined as exclusively those which deal directly with Krishna, the Supreme Lord and one object of all the different types of devotion, it can hardly be called a sthayi-bhava as its predominant object is Srimati Radharani. But as these feelings are not temporary, fleeting moods, they cannot be called sancari-bhavas either.

In view of this paradox, Rupa Gosvamin has explained Radha’s feelings toward the sakhis as a new sancari-bhava and the feelings of the manjaris to Radha as a new type of sthayi-bhava as a subdivision of madhura-rati.
(Here my Param Gurudeva EXACTLY follows what Srila Rupa Goswami wrote and what Srila Jiva Goswami explained.)

Sri Sri Radha and Krishna,
In either birth or death, my only goal Lord
and lady of my life and soul.

Here the word prana-pati (“lord of my life”) is generally used to refer to one’s lover, but in the above line by Narottam Das,
it is referring to the conjugal unit of both Radha and Krishna. It is definitely something novel and has no precedent in Vaishnava theology.

Such an attitude cannot function other than towards Radha.
The greatest of the tasters of sacred rapture, Srila Rupa Gosvamin has thus made another lasting contribution to the science of sacred rapture by coining the term bhavollasa.

From all these wonderful statements, it becomes crystal clear that for the manjaris, their love for Srimati Radhika is the sthayi-bhava, whereas love for Sri Krsna is a sancari-bhava.

Thank you: Hari Parsada das  and Advaita das